Air-lift booster



H. B. HALVORSEN. AIR LIFT BOOSTER.' APPLICATION FILED APR- Il. I9I7.

PatenteaNov. 29,1921.

UNITED STATES PATENTg OFFICE.

HALBERT B. HALVORSEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR- TO SULLIVAN MACHINERY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

AIR-LIFT BOOSTER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV, 29, 1921-.,

Application led April 11, 1917. Serial No. 161,351.

To all who-m t may concern:

Be it known that I, HALBERT B. HALvoR- SEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Lift Boosters, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification.

My invention relates to air lift boosters.

It has foritsobject to guide and control in an improved manner the movement of the valve and valve controlling float used in such a boosterand thereby overcome the objectionable eects upon the valve and float of surging of the water Vwithin the booster. More specilically, my invention has for its object to provide an improved booster equipped with improved means whereby, despite this surging, the oat is `correctly guided, and improved cooperating means whereby the water is prevented from surging up into the float in such a manner as to interfere with its operation. These and other objects and advantages of my improvement will, however, hereinafter morefully appear.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown for purposes of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume in practice. Y

In these drawings, y

Figure 1 shows one form of air lift system with which my improvement may be used, the booster being shown in section.

Y Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the booster tank, the same being broken away to show the float and valve mechanism.

y Fig. 3 is a detail view of the float mechanism.

Fig. 4 is a .sectional 4-.4 of Fig. 3. v

Fig. 5 is a sectional view of a modified form of connection between the float guide and the valve casing. y

In the illustrative embodiment, I have shown an air lift system of a usual tvoe including a compressor 1, which may be of any known construction, delivering air into a receiver 2, which in turn delivers air to a down pipe 3 leading to the foot-piece 4 of the air lift pump located in the well. By this pump the air is mixed with the liouid in the well in such a manner as to cause the latter to flow upward through an outer pipe 5' of view taken on line larger diameter, into the boostercasing 6. Y Obviously, in the use of my improvement, 110

vofithe liquid in a well known manner to force the same beneath a baliie plate 8 and propel the same :upward through the dis-` charge pipe l9 to the line. As usual, in'such systems, the .excess air escapes through a relief or exhaust valve 10, rigidlyconnected to and controlled by a float 11 herein of the diving bell type, and isconducted through a pipe 12 to theatmosphere or, as shown, back to the intake of the compressor. t

In thel use of such a system, ithas been found that when surging is encountered in the booster casing 6, Vthe action of the valve 10 is interfered with, the surging often acting upon the float 11 in such a manner as to force the same out of line with the valve, and asa result cause bending of the valve rod and binding and sticking of the valve.

In my improved construction, however, itV

will be noted that the lower end of the valve rod 13, on which the float 11 is carried, ex-

mounted in a rigid guide and that the iioat and valve are maintained 1n axlal alinement with the valve casing despite any surging in the booster casing.- InA a preferred form, the upper ends of thisyoke 14 are connectedto the valve casing 16, and this valve casingvis itself disposed over an opening 17 in the top of the booster casing and removably at- .tached to the latter, as by means of bolts 18. Thus,it will be noted that it is madepossible to lift out the float and'yoke bodily from the booster casing by simply removing the bolts 18 which clamp the valve casing 16 thereto. It will also be noted that upon the bottom of the yoke 14 and adjacent theopen lower end of the float 11, I have shown herein improved means inthe' form of a circular lplate 19 which acts in such va manner as to ment in the operation of the valve and the control by the latter of the pressure, is effectually prevented. It has also been found that due to the provision of the plate 19 the flow of liquid into the open bottom of the vfloat has been cut down in such a manner as to prevent the surging of a large quantity of water into the float and such bending` of the valve rod or float as may result therefrom.

Obviously, my improvement may be used, if desired, with any suitable means for controlling the buoyancy'of the float, as for instance a spring mechanism acting upon the upper end of the valve rod. This mechanism, however, is the invention of one John Oliphant, and as the same per se does not enter into the present invention, it need not be specifically described. It will also be obvious that with the improved means for guiding the float or preventing the surging ofthe liquid therein, any suitable valve mechanism may be used, if desired, and that the fioat itself may be made adjustable relative to the valve rod, as shown, in order to adjust the same relative to the valve. It will also be noted that, as shown in Fig. 5, in-

stead of having the yoke 14 directly attached to the valve casing 16, this yoke may be connected, if desired, to an intermediate plate 2O removably attached to the top of the booster casing by bolts 21 and threaded at 22 to receive a correspondingly threaded and tapered extension or collar 23 on the lower end of the valve casing. 0bviously, with such a construction, the entire float and Aguide may still be withdrawn through the opening in the top of the booster casing, and

the valve casing may be separately removed when desired.

While I have inl this application specifically described two embodiments which my invention may assume in practice, it is to be understood that the same are used for purposes of illustration, and that the invention may be modified and assume various other forms without departing from its spirit, it being my intention to include all such modifications within the scope of the appended claims.

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

v1. In combination, a booster casing having means for the admission of a mixture of gaseous pumping fluid and liquid thereto and for the discharge of the latter therefrom, and means for maintaining a substantially constant liquid level in said casing comprising a relief valve, a float connected to and movable therewith, and float guiding* means carried by the top of the booster casing.

2. In combination, a booster casing having means for the admission of a mixture of gaseous pumping iiuid and liquid thereto, and for the discharge of the latter therefrom, and means for maintaining a substantially constant liquid level in said cas-ing comprising a relief valve, a float connected to and movable therewith, and valve and float guiding means carried by the top of the booster casing. n

3. In combination, a booster casing having means for the admission thereto of a mixture of a gas and a liquid, discharge means for one of said fluids, and means for maintaining a substantially constant liquid level in said casing comprising an opening in said casing, a valve casing covering said opening, a valvev controlling the admission of fluid to said valve casing, a loat'controllingsaid valve and connected thereto', and float guiding means connected to said valve casing and removable therewith through said orifice.

1. In combination, a booster casinghaving means for the admission thereto of a miX- ture of a gas and a liquid, discharge means for one of said fluids, and means for maintaining a substantially constant liquid level in said casing comprising an opening in said casing, a valve casing covering said opening, a valve controlling the admission of fluid to said valve casing and its discharge therefrom, a float controlling said valve and connected coaxially thereto, and float guiding means connected to said casing and removable therewiththrough said orifice.

5. In combination, in an air lift mechanism, a booster casing having inlet and discharge pipes therein, and means formaintaining a substantially constant liquid level in said booster consisting of a relief valve, a valve rod connected thereto and extending into said casing, a float carried on said valve rod, and rod guiding means depending from the top of the booster casing.

6. In combination, in an air lift booster, a booster casing having inlet and discharge pipes therein, and an opening in its top, a relief valve, a rod connected thereto, a diving bell float through which said rod'passes and to which said rod is attached at the upper end thereof, and means for maintaining the lower end of said diving bell lioat concentric with said rod comprising a brace 7. In an air lift booster, a booster casing having inlet and discharge pipes therein, and means effective to maintain a substantially constant liquid level in said booster consisting of a removable valve` casing disposed over an opening in said booster casing, a valve movable in said casing, a rod connected to said valve and extendlng into said booster casing, a float carried on the lower end of said rod, and a valve rod and float guiding yoke connected to said valve casing and bodily removable therewith.

8. In an air lift booster, a booster casing, inlet and discharge pipes therein, and means effective to maintain a substantially constant liquid level in said booster consisting of a relief valve, a rod connected therewith, a lioat carried on said rod, a valve casing forming a guide for said valve, and means attached to the booster casing and extending from the top thereof to a point above the bottom thereof and beyond the float and forming a guide for the opposite end of the rod.

9. In an air lift booster for maintaining a constant flow of liquid, a booster casing having inlet and discharge pipes therein, a pressure regulating valve governed by the eects of pressure variatio-n in'said booster and operating per se to control said booster and maintain a substantially constant liquid level therein, a float connected to said valve and movable therewith, and valve and oat guiding means carried by the top of the booster casing.

10. In an air lift booster, a booster cas-l ing having inlet and discharge pipes therein, a relief valve, a diving bell float connected to said valve, and means for preventing surging in said float.

11. In an air lift booster, a booster casing having inlet and discharge pipes therein and an opening in its top, a relief valve, a diving bell float connected thereto, and means for preventing surging in said float removable through the opening in said casing.

12. In an air lift booster, a booster casing havingV inlet and discharge pipes therein, a relief valve, a valve rod connected thereto, a float carried on said valve rod, guiding means for said rod, and means disposed adjacent said float for preventing ysurging therein.

13. In an air lift booster, a booster casin, a relief valve, a valve rod connected thereto, a float carried on said valve rod, a yoke carried by said casing in which said rod and float are reciprocable, and means carried by said yoke for preventing surging in said float.

14. Inan air lift booster, a booster casing having inlet and discharge pipes therein, a relief valve, a valve rod connected thereto, a diving bell oat Vcarried on said valve rod, a yoke carried by said casing through which said rod is reciprocable, and a plate carried by said yoke and disposed adjacent the mouth of said float.

15. In an air lift booster, a boostervcasing having inlet and discharge pipes therein, a valve casing disposed over an opening in Said booster casing, a valve movable in said casing, a rod connected to said valveV ing having inlet and discharge pipes thereioat carried on said rod, a valverod and float guiding yoke connected to said valve casing and bodily removable therewith, and

a plate carried 'by said yoke and disposed adjacent the mouth of said float.V

16. In an air lift booster, a booster casing, inlet and discharge pipes therein, `a rel 

